Page 95 of Veil of Shadows

“She’s not bruised like she was the first time, Jax,” Phillen said from my other side.

“And her eyes are almost fully open,” Lars added in a hopeful tone.

“She’s not moaning like last time either,” Lander said.

“She’s going to be fine, Jax. See? Her fingers are squeezing yours.” Trivan grinned from the end of the bed, arms crossed over his lean chest. “Welcome back.”

I nodded briefly, knowing that I needed to get up and moving. Opening my eyes wider, I gave Jax a small smile. “Hi.”

“Are you all right?” Fear cascaded through him, around him, over me.Stars, over us all.

Each raider winced when Jax’s potent magic hit them, but my lorafin powers and our mate bond rose, cocooning me. Amazingly, my magic wasn’t as weakened as it usually was following a calling. I felt tired, stiff, and sore, but not spent and not entirely depleted.Our bond protected me.

“Where does it hurt?” Jax demanded.

“It’s not that bad.” I forced myself to sitting, and Jax immediately reached out to assist me, but I brushed him away. “I can do it. Truly, I’m fine. It’s not like last time.” Despite the fatigue plaguing me and a dull headache swimming through my mind, I wasn’t lying. I didn’t feel like death, not as I had before. “It’s easier with my collar loosened so much, and I think our bond has helped too.”

Relief flared in his aura, and he didn’t question me, maybe knowing on some level that I wouldn’t lie to him.

“And the semelees?” Lander asked, cocking an eyebrow. He stood beside Phillen, his face a mask of brown stone as he assessed me shrewdly. “What did they reveal?”

“I know how we can get to Bastian and why he disappeared. Someone’s controlling him with a gem in that anklet he’s wearing. That’s probably why you never heard from him, but I know how we can remove it, but we need to venture to the anklet’s origins to do so. It will be an extensive journey.”

Jax’s energy rose like a wave. “But we can save him?”

“I believe so.”

A spike in Jax’s aura filled the room, and his lips pressed into a hard, determined line. “Then let’s find my brother.”

CHAPTER 26

Since I didn’t feel at death’s door, and I knew time was of the essence, I insisted that we all get movingnow.

Evening had arrived, and what the semelees had shown me of where Bastian was being held meant we couldn’t delay. Every minute counted, considering what was happening in the Wood.

Consequently, Jax and his friends all dressed in their black raider attire, masks in place, while I slipped into my ebony clothing. I didn’t know who we would encounter in the Wood when we attempted to rescue Bastian, and it was wisest if nobody could identify us, because we still didn’t know who was behind it all.

Once dressed, we all gathered in the living area.

“Are you sure you’re strong enough?” Jax’s intent gaze wouldn’t relent.

I grabbed a ribbon to tie my hair with. “Yes. Besides, you need me. I have to show you how we enter the underground tunnel in the Wood. I can’t stay behind.”

A groove appeared between his eyes, but he nodded.

“Thought you could use this, Little Lorafin.” Bowan handed me a black mask. “Best to keep all of our identities concealed, yours too.”

Smiling tentatively, I took it and put it on. The silky material draped over my face, hiding my nose and mouth. Surprisingly, it was easy to breathe through.

The entire time I was securing it, Jax watched me, and I could have sworn that the worry that’d been emanating from him only moments ago turned to pride.

“Shall we use a portal key to get there?” Phillen dipped several short swords into sheaths at his waist. And Lars, Bowan, Trivan, Lander, and Alec were all busy clipping daggers and knives to straps hidden beneath their clothing.

“We’ll have to.” Jax grabbed the jar off the table. “Nobody can see us leaving here or returning dressed as this. I could weave an illusion over us, but it would still take time to travel back to the Wood, and since Quinn brought back so many keys, we should use them when it’s truly needed.”

I eyed the jar. Someone had placed all of the keys back into it following the night I’d spilled them everywhere. They were now sealed with a lid, but I was reminded of the last time I’d used one—when Jax and the others had been so close to being caught in Possyrose Forest—a capture that the king had supposedly initiated.

My brow furrowed, and I wondered again how the king had known that was where they would be. The semelees would of course know, but only a lorafin queen could demand that answer of them.

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